N.V. Porto Rocha Three Centuries of Porto Rocha Old Tawny, 500ml, 1-bottle Lot, Wood Case

Porto Rocha was established in 1850 by Antonio da Rocha Leao, a Portuguese entrepreneur who became one of the few Portuguese Port producers to compete with the British Port companies. The company was located across the Douro River from Operto. Today the company is part of the Sogevinus Port Group. Porto Rocha is known for its Colheitas, as well as vintage and Ruby ports.

Douro is Portugal’s most prestigious appellation, thanks to the fact that the country’s famous Port wines have always come from the Douro. Douro, the appellation, is named for the Douro River which runs through northern Portugal. The region is mountainous and rocky, with very poor soil and harsh weather conditions because of proximity to the Atlantic. Nevertheless, vineyards have always existed there on terraced parcels of land surrounded by walls to protect the vines from wind. Most of the famous Port makers have quintas, or estates, in this region. In recent decades the Douro has developed a reputation for table wines as well as Ports, and today there are two sub-appellations within the Douro, one for table wines and one for Port. Numerous grapes are allowed within the Douro, but the main red grapes grown are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa and Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo.) The main white grapes are Esgana Cao, Folgosado and Verdelho. Besides the historic connection to Port wines – which were highly coveted in England and other parts of Europe as early as the 17th century – the region is also home to Portugal’s best table wines, including Barca Velha.